Jacob Biron has spent plenty of time around LECOM Harborcenter, but this week marked a different kind of return.
The 21-year-old goalie, the son of former Sabres netminder and current broadcaster Marty Biron, was invited to take part in Sabres Development Camp. For Jacob, who is entering his junior year at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, it was a full-circle moment.
“It wasn’t too long ago I was on the other side of the glass watching Development Camp, so to get the call saying, ‘Hey, do you want to come play, put on the jersey for a week?,’ it was a dream come true, an absolute pleasure,” he said.
Jacob was only two-and-a-half years old when a February 2007 trade ended his father’s Sabres run, so his memories of Marty as a player mostly come from his years with the Flyers, Islanders and Rangers. Still, growing up in East Aurora and moving through college hockey, he’s had the benefit of daily access to someone who knows the position inside and out.
“It’s a rare luxury that most people don’t have, to have somebody like your dad have done what you’re trying to do, and help you along the way,” Jacob said. “I talk to him every day, pretty much, about hockey.
After a game, I’ll call him and be like, ‘Hey, what did you see?’ And he’ll give me little things.”
Marty Biron said he sees some of himself in his son’s game, though he was quick to point out how much the position has evolved.
“Everybody’s so much better (now) than we were. You look at the technique.
He’s big, way bigger than I was,” said the 48-year-old - he’s 6-foot-2, Jacob 6-foot-4. “We had that old-school style with the two-pad stack and the diving and all of that.
He has that to his game, but I think it’s a lot better, so that’s good.”
The Sabres’ development staff has also had a hand in Jacob’s path. Director of player development Tim Kennedy, who once coached him when he was younger, talked this week about how working with prospects from a distance requires constant communication so everyone stays aligned and nobody ends up sending mixed messages.
That same kind of relationship exists at Army, where the coaching staff leans on Marty’s experience from 508 games over 16 NHL seasons.
“Everybody picks his brain a little bit when it comes to hockey, because who better to pick the brain of than him?” Jacob said, adding that he has a .920 save percentage in seven college appearances.
Marty, though, is careful not to cross the line from dad to coach.
“I’m still a resource, but I’m not the coach. I’m not gonna go home today and be like, ‘Hey, let’s review the tape from this 3-on-3.’ No, that’s not what it’s about.”
Life at West Point has also pushed Jacob into a world his father never knew. Just last week, he was in field training, carrying 80 pounds of food, water, weapons and ammunition through the woods for five days. It’s a different kind of grind than goaltending, one that tests endurance and perseverance more than hips and lungs.
And while Army juniors commit to serving as officers after graduation, Jacob’s future may look very different from his father’s. Loopholes exist, and professional athletes often find ways to keep their careers going, but the Birons are comfortable with whatever comes next.
“I think he’s developed himself into his own identity, his own everything,” Marty said. “Obviously, when he’s here, it’s cool, but he’s not wearing 43 or 00 (Marty’s NHL numbers) or whatever.
At Army, he’s No. 1.
Here, they gave him 35. It’s all good.
All my kids (Jacob and three younger daughters), they all have parts of me and their mom, but they all have their own identity, which is awesome.”
Some at camp already knew the family connection, including fellow locals Patrick Geary and Gavin McCarthy. Others, like fourth-overall pick Daxon Rudolph, were just learning it. Jacob, meanwhile, remains a Sabres fan and followed the team’s 2026 playoff run closely, even though he could only make the Game 2 loss to Montreal.
For all the advantages that come with being Marty Biron’s son, Jacob says he has been determined to make his own way.
“I’m always grateful and thankful for what my dad’s done for me and the road he’s paved,” he said. “But for me, it was really important to earn my way to where I am today.
Just putting in that extra hour of work, getting on the ice a little extra time. That’s the mentality I had growing up, and still in college hockey.”
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